Overview

This page aims to answer common questions about configuring and using the LabKey Server interface for creating R Reports. Remember, an administrator must install and configure R on LabKey Server before users can create and run R scripts on live datasets.

Topics:

1. library(), help() and data() don’t work
2. plot() doesn’t work
3. jpeg() and png() don’t work
4. Does my report reflect live, updated data?
5. Output is not printed when I source() a file or use a function
6. Scripts pasted from documentation don't work in the LabKey R Script Builder
7. LabKey Server becomes very, very slow when scripts execute
8. Does R create security risks?
9. Any good sources for advice on R scripting?

1. library(), help() and data() don’t work

Windows Workaround #1: Use alternatives that output to the console

library(): The library() command has a console-output alternative. To see which packages your administrator has made available, use the following:

installed.packages()[,0]

help(): It’s usually easy to keep a separate, native R session open and call help() from there. This works better for some functions than others. Note that you must install and load packages before asking for help() with them. You can also use the web-based documentation available on CRAN or search the R mailing list for help.

data(): You can also call data() from a separate, native R session for some purposes. Calling data() from such a session can tell you which datasets are available on any packages you’ve installed and loaded in that instance of R, but not your LabKey installation.

2. plot() doesn’t work

LabKey Server executes R scripts in batch mode. Thus, LabKey R never automatically opens an appropriate graphics device for output, as would R when running in interpreted/interactive mode. You’ll need to open the appropriate device yourself. For onscreen output that becomes part of a report, use jpeg() or png() (or their alternatives, Cairo(), GDD() and bitmap()). In order to output a graphic as a separate file, use pdf() or postscript().

Did you call dev.off() after plotting?

You need to call dev.off() when you’re done plotting to make sure the plot object gets printed to the open device.

3. jpeg() and png() don’t work

4. Does my report reflect live, updated data?

In study folders, you can set a flag for any script that prevents the script from being re-run unless changes have occurred. This flag can save time when scripts are time-intensive or datasets are large making processing slow. When this flag is set, LabKey will only re-run the R script if:

• The flag is cleared OR
• The dataset associated with the script has changed OR
• Any of the attributes associated with the script are changed (script source, options etc.)

5. Output is not printed when I source() a file or use a function

The R FAQ explains:

When you use… functions interactively at the command line, the result is automatically printed...In source() or inside your own functions you will need an explicit print() statement.

When a command is executed as part of a file that is sourced, the command is evaluated but its results are not ordinarily printed. For example, if you call source(scriptname.R) and scriptname.R calls installed.packages()[,0] , the installed.packages()[,0] command is evaluated, but its results are not ordinarily printed. The same thing would happen if you called installed.packages()[,0] from inside a function you define in your R script.

You can force sourced scripts to print the results of the functions they call. The R FAQ explains:

If you type `1+1' or `summary(glm(y~x+z, family=binomial))' at the command line the returned value is automatically printed (unless it is invisible()). In other circumstances, such as in a source()'ed file or inside a function, it isn't printed unless you specifically print it.

print(1+1);

source("1plus1.R", echo=TRUE);

6. Scripts pasted from documentation don't work in the LabKey R report builder

If you receive an error like this:

Error: syntax error, unexpected SYMBOL, expecting 'n' or ';'
 in "library(Cairo) labkey.data"
Execution halted

7. LabKey Server becomes very, very slow when scripts execute

You are probably running long, computationally intensive scripts. To avoid a slowdown, run your script in the background via the LabKey pipeline. See R Report Builder for details on how to execute scripts via the pipeline.

8. Does R Create Security Risks?

Allowing the use of R scripts/reports on a server can be a security risk. A developer could write a script that could read or write any file stored in any SiteRoot, fileroot or pipeline root despite the LabKey security settings for that file.

A user must have at least the Author role and be part of the Developer group to write a R script or report to be used on the server.

R should not be used on a "shared server", that is, a server where users with admin/developer privileges in one project do not have permissions on other projects. Running R on the server could pose a security threat if the user attempts to access the server command line directly. The main way to execute a system command in R is via the 'system(<system call>)' method that is part of the R core package. The threat is due to the permission level of a script being run by the server possibly giving unwanted elevated permissions to the user.

9. Any good sources for advice on R scripting?

R Graphics Basics: Plot area, mar (margins), oma (outer margin area), mfrow, mfcol (multiple figures)

• Provides good advice how to make plots look spiffy

• This powerpoint provides nice visuals for explaining various graphics parameters in R

• Lectures and labs cover the range - from introductory R to advanced genomic analysis

• Also links to useful example figures and code from several R books

10. Graphics File Formats

If you don’t know which graphics file format to use for your plots, this link can help you narrow down your options.

.png and .gif

.jpeg

.pdf and .ps or .eps